Best Practices for Welcoming Refugees: Utilizing Parish Resources - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Best Practices for Welcoming Refugees: Utilizing Parish Resources and Growing Community Will

What is a Refugee? • Refugees and are forced to leave their countries because of war or persecution due to their nationality, race, religion, political opinion or membership in a group.

Facts • 51.2 million forcibly displaced people • 16.7 million refugees from over 60 countries worldwide • Less than 1% of them have the chance to resettle in a 3 rd country like the U.S. ¡

Coming to America • Flee • Seek legal refugee status • Seek resettlement • Referral to US Program • Match to US VOLAG • Pre-arrival process • Arrival in America

Unique Challenges • Long life in camps (average 18 years worldwide) • Limited access to English language classes • New Culture • Limited formal education and work history for adults. • Experiences of trauma and war • Poor nutrition and healthcare

Resettlement in Kansas City, KS (2010-2014) Top 5 Refugee Groups Chin (of Myanmar) 975 Bhutanese 583 Karen (of Myanmar) 258 Karenni (of Myanmar) 231 Iraqi 122

FY15 • Set ceiling at 200 through community process • Will resettle 405 by the end – Mostly Chin – Some Bhutanese and Iraqi • National Bulge, busy September • Largely due to all US Tie Cases • Set ceiling at 250 for FY16

Challenges in Resettlement 60 ¡ 50 ¡ 40 ¡ 30 ¡ 20 ¡ 10 ¡ 0 ¡ Oct. ¡ Nov. ¡ Dec. ¡ Jan. ¡ Feb. ¡ Mar. ¡ Apr. ¡ May ¡ June ¡ July ¡ Aug. ¡ Sept. ¡

Resettlement Site’s Role for New Arrivals • Services provided – Case Management – Housing – Medical Care – Enroll in School and ELL – Home Visits – Orientations – Employment – Connect to Local Resources Goal: For refugees to reach self-sufficiency economically and culturally.

Programs Offered by CCNEK • Reception and Placement (0-90 days) • Match Grant (31-180 days) • Targeted Assistance Grant (90 days-5 years) • Refugee Social Services (90 days – 5 years) • Employment Services/Job Day (0-5 years) • Cultural Orientation • English Classes • Citizenship Classes La Luz Immigration Clinic

Cultural Adjustment

Helpful Resources • U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) www.refugees.org • Bridging Refugee Youth (BRYCS): www.brycs.org • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - www.unhcr.org • Cultural Orientation Resource Center - culturalorientation.net ¡

Hope Story